Ignition device for explosive-engines.



No. 743,327. 7 I PATENTEI) Nov, 3,1903.

I W; REMINGTON. I IGNITION DEVICE FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES;

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9. W02.

.HO MODEL.

EN 1 132 .5 flu animator :g x #9144 I atbo'bnmg UNITED STATES ratntd November 3,1903;

PATENT OFFICE.

WOLCOTT REMINGTON, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO INTERNATIONAL POWER VEHICLE COMPANY, OF STAMFORD, CON- NECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

IGNITION DEVICE FOR EXPLOSlVE-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 743,327, dated November 3, 1903.

' Application filed May 9, 1902. Serial No. 106,571. (No model.)

' To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WOLCOTT REMINGTON, a citizen-of the United States of America, and a resident of Stamford, Fairfield county, State of Connecticut,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ignition Devices for Explosive-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in explosive-engines, and has for its object to provide an improved means for igniting the charges of explosives therefor by means of a compression of an explosive mixture to its explosion-point in a cylinder auxiliary to the main working cylinder, but having communication therewith; and it has for its object to provide a means whereby the explosions can be timed and regulated by varying the lead of the auxiliary piston and whereby the auxiliary piston can be driven independently of the main piston, if necessary.

My invention therefore consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of which it is composed, as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Referring to the acccompanying drawings, in which corresponding parts are designated by similar marks of reference, Figure 1 is a horizontal section of an engine constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a detail sideview of means for adjusting the lead of the auxiliary piston. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the lead-adjusting worm-collar; and Fig. 4 is a detail view, partly in section, of the worm-collar, shaft, and eccentric.

The engine structure comprises the main cylinder A and the forward extension thereof, forming a closed crank-shaft casing B, having bearings b for the main crank-shaft C. The piston, comprising the head D and connecting-rod D, is contained within the cylinder and forward extension, the connectingrod being connected to the crank-shaft in the usual manner. The walls of the cylinder are chambered, as at a, for a-water-jacket in the well-known manner. Presuming the pistonhead to be at therearward limit of its .movement and to be moved forwardly therefrom by any means-such, for instance, as by the explosion of a charge-*it will be seen that the movement of the piston-head will compress in the crank-casing B carbureted air which has been admitted thereto through the valve-controlled charge supply pipe a, forcing it through the longitudinal compressed-charge passage (1 formed in the side walls of the cylinder A, and through the chargednduction port a. into the main cylinder behind the piston, where it will by striking the deflectingwing d upon the piston-head be scattered throughout the cylinder, driving therefrom the exploded products of the previous charge through the eduction-port (t the ports or; and a being so positioned in the cylinder as to be uncovered by the piston-head only when the latter has reached its forward limit of movepiston-head G is mounted to move in the.

auxiliary cylinder and has motion imparted thereto by the strap G,surrounding the eccentric H, mounted upon the main crank-shaft C, so that each rotation of the crank-shaft causes a reciprocation of the auxiliary piston G in the supplemental cylinder F.

I have shown and will describe means for adjusting the lead of the auxiliary piston in respect to the main piston, but presuming them to have the relative position shown in the drawings it will be seen that the cylinder F is in communication with the compressedcharge passage a through the auxiliary passage f and that the compressed charge will thus flow from the passage 0. into the auxiliary cylinder F, filling the. latter and driving therefrom through the discharge-port f the exhaust products of combustion. The continued rotation of the main shaft carries both the main and auxiliary pistons rearwardly, the initial movementof the main piston 010$- in g theindu ction-port a and eduction-port a while the initial movement of the auxiliary piston closes the passages f and f and the charge in each of the cylinders A and F is thus further compressed. The compression of the charge in the auxiliary cylinder causes an explosion thereof during the rearward movement of the auxiliary piston, and the flame of the explosion is injected into the rear end of the main cylinder through the passage f and the charge therein exploded, driving the main piston forwardly, when the cycle above described will be repeated.

It will be noticed that in the rearward position of the auxiliary piston practically no space is left within the auxiliary cylinder, while the interior of the rear head of the main cylinder is concaved, as at a", as is the rear end of the main piston, as at (1, so that in the rearward position of the main piston a hollow space is left in the main cylinder in which the charge has been compressed ready for the application of flame thereto to produce the working explosion. This construction, however, is not essential, although it affords a convenient means of placing the charge in the auxiliary cylinder under greater compression than the charge in the main cylinder, whereby the initial explosion occurs in the auxiliary cylinder of a comparatively small area and is thence transmitted to the main cylinder. The area of the passage f is so proportioned that while it permits the passage of the flame it will not permit an undue escape of the compressed charge from the auxiliary cylinder and the consequent loss of pressure.

It is desirable that means be provided for varying the time of the explosion relatively to the position of main piston in the main cylinder, and this may be conveniently done by varying the lead of the auxiliary piston in respect to the main piston. In the accompanying drawings I have shown one form of a device for effecting this, but others may be employed, if desired. In the form shown in the drawings a collar K is mounted upon one end of the crank-shaft 0, being longitudinally movable thereon, but being held against rotation by a keyway c on the shaft. This collar is provided with an annular groove is, engaged by the forked ends Z of the lever L, whereby it may be moved longitudinally while the engine is running, and is provided on its exterior periphery with a series of worm-teeth having a fiat pitch. Upon the collar the eccentric H is mounted, the interior face of the eccentric having teeth to engage those upon the collar and being held against axial movement by the bearing b and by fingers M, projecting from the structure of the engine. If with this construction the collar K be moved longitudinally, it will be seen that the eccentric I-I, held against corresponding movement by the bearing 17 and fingers M, will be caused to rotate around the shaft as a center, where by the lead of the auxiliary piston in respect to the main piston will be varied.

In starting an engine provided with my improved igniter the preliminary stroke of the piston to effect the initial ignition will be usually effected by turning over the engine by hand; but as this may be inconvenient or even impracticable with large engines I have devised a clutch whereby the auxiliary piston may be moved independently of the main piston to effect the explosive compression and be automatically geared to the main shaft upon the occurrence of the explosion to be subsequently driven thereby, and this without changing the lead at which the two pistons work in respect to each other. This clutch is shown in the several figures of the drawings, and especially in Fig. 4, in which I have shown a pin N passing through the outer end of the collar K, the'pin being springpressed by the coiled spring at, having its opposite ends secured to the collar 7.: and head of the pin, respectively, and being normally under tension, whereby the key is projected and held in the keyway c, preventing the collar from turning upon the shaft. In the use of this feature of my invention on starting the engine is turned over until the main and auxiliary cylinders are full of the explosive mixtures and the crank is just over the center starting down, thus closing the ports a and a The pin N is then lifted out of the keyway and the eccentric and wormcollar revolved just far enough to let it rest on the shaft. Then the worm and eccentric are given a quick turn, which fires the charge, and as the parts are rotated the pin passes over the smooth periphery of the crank-shaft and again drops into the keyway, again locking the collar and shaft together. If desired, a crank 0 maybe attached to the collar is, as indicated in Fig. 4, whereby the collar when released from the shaft 0 by the withdrawal of the pin N from the shaft 0 may be more freely turned by hand, carrying with it the eccentric H, and thus giving the initial compression in the auxiliary cylinder.

Ihave here shown the eccentric as mounted on the main crank-shaft and driven directly thereby, and this arrangement I prefer for two-cycle engines; but it will be understood that the eccentric may be driven in other ways and that a suitable gearing may be interposed between the eccentric and crankshaft, if desired, this being advisable with four-cycle engines.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In an explosive-engine, the combination with a main cylinder and a main piston moving therein, an auxiliary preliminary-explosion cylinder, in communication with the main cylinder, an auxiliary piston moving in the preliminary-explosion cylinder driven by the main piston, and means for varying the lead of the auxiliary piston in respect to the main piston to vary the speed of the engine, substantially as described.

2. In an explosive-engine, the combination with a main cylinder and a main piston working therein, of an auxiliary preliminary-explosion cylinder communicating with the main cylinder, an auxiliary piston working in the auxiliary cylinder and normally driven by the main piston, means for disconnecting the auxiliary piston from the main piston, and means for driving the auxiliary piston to start the engine when the auxiliary piston is disconnected from the mainpiston, substantially as described.

3. In an explosive-engine, the combination With a main cylinder and a piston working therein, of an auxiliary preliminary-explosion cylinder communicating with the main cylinder, an auxiliary piston working in the auxiliary cylinder and driven by the main iston, means for disconnecting the auxiliary piston from the main piston for starting, and means brought into action by the running of the engine to engage the main and supplemental pistons, substantially as described.

4. In an explosive-engine, the combination with a main cylinder and a main piston working therein, an extension upon the forward end of the main cylinder forming a chargecompressing chamber, an auxiliary cylinder, a passage connecting the compressing-chamber with the interior of the main and auxiliary cylinders, an explosion-passage connecting the main and auxiliary cylinders, an auxiliary piston moving in the auxiliary cylinder and driven by the main piston, and means for varying the lead of the auxiliary piston in respect to the main piston, substantially as described.

5. In an explosive-engine, the combination with a main cylinder and a main piston working therein, a shaft driven by the main piston, an auxiliary cylinder communicating with the main cylinder, a worm-collar mounted upon the said shaft and movable longitu; dinally thereon, an. eccentric mounted upon the said worm-collar and rotated by the longitudinal movement thereof, and driven by the shaft and an auxiliary piston working in the auxiliary cylinder for compressing the charge therein to the explosive-point and driven by the eccentric, substantially as described.

6. In an explosive-engine, the combination with a main cylinder and a main piston moving therein, a shaft driven by the main piston, an auxiliary cylinder communicating with the main cylinder, a worm-collar mounted upon the said shaft and movable longitudinally thereon, and an eccentric mounted upon the said Worm-collar and rotated by the longitudinal movement thereof, an auxiliary piston working in the auxiliary cylinder for compressing the charge therein to the explosive-point and driven by the eccentric, and a clutch between the collar and shaft, substantially as described.

Signed at Stamford, day of April, 1902.

. WOLOOTT REMINGTON.

NVitnesses GEORGE F. ELLIOTT, FRANK B. GURLEY.

Connecticut, this 30th 

